The Congress party on Monday sought to distance itself from the remarks of Sam Pitroda, senior party leader and the head of its overseas wing, suggesting that India should "recognise and respect" China instead of assuming it as an enemy.
In a post on social media platform X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said that Pitroda's views do not reflect the party's stand on the issue.
"The views reported by Shri Sam Pitroda on China are certainly not the views of the Indian National Congress. China remains our biggest foreign policy, external security, and economic challenge," Ramesh wrote on his X handle.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Pitroda triggered a row when he suggested a change in India's mindset towards China and said the government should stop assuming China as its enemy.
"I think we need to change that pattern to assume that China is the enemy from day one. It is not just to China, but to everyone... I don't know what is the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has the habit of defining an enemy," Pitroda said.
Pitroda's remarks stood in stark contrast to the view of the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi on the matter. Rahul, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had claimed in Parliament that India had lost a part of its territory to China, which the government has vehemently denied.
On January 28, 2025, the Congress party released a statement arguing that several "unanswered questions" remained about the disengagement agreement between India and China at a time when the government had announced the normalization of ties between the two nations.
"New Delhi and Beijing have agreed to restore commercial and cultural ties including direct flights between the two capitals, resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, liberalised visa regime and other measures following the recent Beijing visit of the Foreign Secretary.”
“Yet successive statements by the Ministry of External Affairs casts doubt on whether we have returned to the status quo. Recall taht the External Affairs Minister’s statement in Parliament on December 3, 2024 said ‘In a few other places where friction occurred in 2020, temporary and limited measures were implemented based on local conditions, to prevent futher friction’. This clearly alludes to the creation of “buffer zones” areas where our troops and local graziers are now restricted from accessing, despite previously having access," it said, seeking answers from the Prime Minister before normalisation with China were attempted.
In the Congress' defence after Pitroda's remarks, Jairam Ramesh reiterated that the Congress "has repeatedly raised questions on the Modi government’s approach to China, including the PM Modi’s public clean chit to it on June 19, 2020".
"It is also extremely regrettable that Parliament is being denied an opportunity to discuss the situation and express a collective resolve to meet these challenges effectively," he said.
The statement by the Congress leader came as the BJP pounced on Pitroda's remarks and termed his views as a "very deep blow to India's identity, diplomacy and sovereignty".
"Rahul Gandhi's right-hand man Sam Pitroda: 'China isn't our enemy'! This man sings endless praises of China while Congress party's signing of MoU in 2008 reveal a cozy betrayal of India's interests and prioritising China's! It's crazy how Congress always manages to keep China and Pakistan's interests above ours," BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said.
Sam Pitroda is no stranger to controversy. Last year, he was temporarily removed as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress over his untoward remarks on India's diversity. He was reinstated a month later claiming that the remarks were misinterpreted.
Jairam Ramesh had then said that Pitroda had "given an assurance" that he would, in future, leave no room for controversy. Pitroda contradicted it, saying it was Ramesh's personal opinion.
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